AlumNotes

Wright State University recognizes its college outstanding alumni each year during Alumni Reunion Weekend. Back row, left to right: President David Hopkins; Raymond L. Umstead, ’75 B.S.B. Raj Soin College of Business; Ronald P. Golovan, ’89 M.D. Boonshoft School of Medicine; James D. Mamer, ’88 B.S.Ed., ’94 M.Ed. College of Education and Human Services; Clay Johnson (Christopher’s brother); Christopher R. Johnson, ’82 B.S. College of Science and Mathematics; Stephen R. Hampton, ’80 B.M. College of Liberal Arts; and Sharon A. R. Stanley, ’83 M.S. Wright State University–Miami Valley College of Nursing and Health. Front row, left to right: Lori Crosby, ’95 Psy.D. School of Professional Psychology; Patricia Adams Howard, ’79 B.S.B., ’99 M.B.A. Wright State University–Lake Campus; Michael R. Deis, ’82 B.S.Egr. College of Engineering and Computer Science; and Sung K. Ahn, ’83 M.S. Wright State University Graduate School.

2013

Casey McCluskey (M.D.) was presented with the 2013 Excellence in Public Health Award by the U.S. Public Health Service. The award recognizes medical students who are involved in public health issues in their communities.

Nicole Tompkins (B.F.A.) played Maria in the musical The Sound of Music on the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre in Clinton, IA.

2012

Randall Boll (B.A.), a Dayton-based financial advisor for Northwestern Mutual life insurance, received the company’s Top Producer Award based on helping clients achieve financial security.

Prateek Jain (Ph.D.) is a research staff member at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, NY, working on analysis of social network data and its commercialization.

Nathan Johnson (M.P.A.) was named assistant city manager of Scottsbluff, NB.

Sam Klepinger (B.S.B.) is working as a consultant with PQ Systems to assess the company’s investment in web exposure. The Dayton-based company provides specialized software and training.

Taylor Ralston (B.S.B.) has joined Shumsky Therapeutic Pillows at the company’s Dayton headquarters.

Cliff Rosenberger (B.S.B.), an Ohio state representative who chairs the Ohio House Higher Education Finance Subcommittee, was appointed to the state Controlling Board.

Bradley S. Roush (B.A.), a fireman in the U.S. Navy, completed basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, IL.

Misti Spillman (M.A.), an AmeriCorps member at the Ohio Historical Society, has created a toolkit as a guide for restoring cemeteries.

Nick Warrington (B.S.Ed.) was selected by Virginia Tech as a student representative serving as a liaison between the student body and the Board of Visitors, the university’s governing body.

Brandy Zapata (B.A.) is director of Gather & Share: Mary Worthington & Friends, a play written for the Paint Street Celebration in Chillicothe, OH.

2011

Amanda L. Kehres (B.A.), a microbiologist for the corporate laboratory of the John Morrell Food Group of Springdale, OH, was certified as a registrant of the National Registry of Certified Microbiologists.

2010

Erik Balster (M.P.H.) was named health commissioner of the Preble County (OH) General Health District.

Chad Nabors (B.S.) expanded Final Touch House Cleaning, his house cleaning and window washing company, into the Columbus market.

Joshua J. (J. J.) Parkey (B.F.A.) won the Broadway World Boston Award for Best Actor in Cambridge, Mass., for his role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, an off-Broadway musical about a fictional rock band fronted by an East German transgender singer.

Joshua Skaggs (B.S.N.), who has twice deployed to Iraq with the U.S. Army, works as a registered nurse at the Dayton VA Medical Center.

Josh Smith (M.Ed.) is an intervention specialist at Piqua (OH) Junior High School, teaching students who have behavioral and emotional challenges.

2009

Kyle Forquer (B.F.A.) is directing and producing The Bakery Boys of Fairfield County, a film to be shot in Dayton, about the rivalry between two brothers who work side-by-side in a bakery and compete for the affections of their female co-worker.

Weike Peng (M.B.A.) was appointed a director of Adriana Resources Inc., a Toronto-based iron ore producer.

Anandapadmanaba Perumalchettiar (M.B.A.), technical lead of master data management at LexisNexis in Dayton, was named a “Forty Under 40” award winner by the Dayton Business Journal. The award honors top young talent.

Andy Platt (B.S.B.), financial advisor with Northwestern Mutual in Beavercreek, OH, qualified for the Quality Award from the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.

Joshua Styrcula (B.S.B.), financial planner for LifePlan Financial Group in Dayton, was named a “Forty Under 40” award winner by the Dayton Business Journal.

2006

Brad King (M.P.H.), health commissioner of the Norwood (OH) City Health Department, was named health commissioner of the Champaign Health Department in Urbana, OH.

Christopher J. Lohr (B.A.) was hired by Enon, OH, as its village administrator.

David R. Paoletti (Ph.D.), assistant professor of computer science at Pennsylvania State University–Beaver, was the primary author of “Inferring the Number of Contributors to Mixed DNA Profiles,” which was published in IEEE/ACM Transactions on Computational Biology and Bioinformatics.

Dionysia Williams (B.F.A.) starred in Forbidden Broadway Greatest Hits: Vol. 1, an off-Broadway revue that spoofs the biggest Broadway stars and hits. The show was part of CATCO’s season at the Riffe Center’s Studio Three Theatre in Columbus, OH.

2005

Samantha Austin (B.S.) (M.Ed.), a teacher at Springfield (OH) High School, received the Excellence in Teaching award from the Springfield Rotary Club.

Hannah Beachler (B.F.A.) is the production designer of Fruitvale Station, a film that captured the top two prizes at the Sundance Film Festival, a premier showcase for independent film.

Jason W. James (M.B.A.), commander of the 45th Comp-troller Squadron for the 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, was promoted from the rank of major to lieutenant colonel.

Adam Koch (B.S.B.) (M.B.A.) was named superintendent of the Otsego Local School District in Tontongany, OH.

Avinash Konkani (M.S.), a graduate student in clinical engineering at Oakland University in Rochester, MI, was featured as a Global Talent on the official website of the Global Talent Retention Initiative of Michigan, whose mission is to retain international student talent as a strategy for economic growth.

Heather Liskiewitz (B.F.A.), who recently performed with the Minnesota Ballet, taught classes in the summer intensive program at the Young People’s Ballet Theatre in Flint, MI.

Blake Lloyd (B.S.), a veterinarian, took over operation of North Fork Animal Clinic in Chillicothe, OH.

Julianne Nesbit (M.P.H.) was named health commissioner of Clermont County, OH.

Rachel Danielle Peterson (B.A.) was nominated for Best New Poets by The Los Angeles Review for her poem “Elegy of the Gun.”

Bradley R. Schlessman (M.S.) (Ph.D.) was hired as a research scientist in human capital business analytics by Chally Group Worldwide, a Dayton-based performance and talent measurement firm.

2004

Cory Bliss (M.S.Egr.), an engineer at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, was guest speaker at the Memorial Day Ceremony in Rimersburg, PA.

Jesse Hutchins (B.S.) won the HGM Hotels Classic at Rock Barn, NC (part of the eGolf Tour) with a four-round total of 15 under par.

Andrew Mott (A.A.), a teacher at Hilliard (OH) Heritage Middle School and Civil War re-enactor, arranges for professional re-enactors to visit the school to illustrate the life of a Civil War soldier and explain the causes and effects of the Civil War.

Rose Mary Shaw (Psy.D.), a clinical psychologist, opened the Mindfully Well Center in Englewood, OH, an integrative medicine practice with psychology, massage therapy, yoga, and herbalism.

2003

Satyanarayan Kantamneni (M.S.Egr.) graduated from Harvard Business School in the general management program.

Jessica Odorcic (B.A.) finished fifth in the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon 10K in 34:18, the top local runner among the women.

2002

David Michael Beck (B.S.B.), a professional artist who produces images for major comic book companies such as Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse, worked with DC comics on the Jonah Hex series.

Brittany Brand (B.S.), associate professor of geology at Boise State University and expert on volcanoes, was the keynote speaker at UC Clermont, University of Cincinnati commencement.

Dan Schwieterman (B.S.Ed.) (M.S.Ed.) was named principal of Valley Elementary School in Beavercreek, OH.

2001

Brian Faust (B.S.B.), director of mergers and acquisitions for Myrian Capital in Dayton, was named a “Forty Under 40” award winner by the Dayton Business Journal.

Justen D. Chilbert (B.A.), an Air Force major who serves as a military assistant to the director of operations assigned to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency in Beavercreek, OH, was awarded the agency’s Joint Meritorious Unit Award.

Billi Ewing (B.A.) was selected as one of three winners out of more than 2,500 entrants in the “Transition Me Beautiful” contest sponsored by Carol’s Daughter, a natural hair care and beauty products company.

Monica L. Williams (B.F.A.) directed the Dayton premiere of Lynn Nottage’s acclaimed 2003 drama Intimate Apparel at Sinclair Community College, spotlighting a black seamstress in New York City at the dawn of the 20th century.

1999

Robert Boley (B.A.) (M.A.) won Best in Show in Sinclair Community College’s creative writing contest as well as first place for adult creative nonfiction for Me Am Dad, a memoir piece about an experience Boley had with his daughter that involves encouraging creativity and imagination.

Robert James Colvin Jr. (M.D.), a former emergency room physician, is an owner of the Skin Medical Spa in San Francisco, which specializes in noninvasive cosmetic procedures.

Jeffrey C. Dixon (B.S.Ed.) who teaches in the sociology and anthropology departments at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, was promoted to associate professor with tenure.

Mark Green (M.D.), a Tennessee state senator and president and CEO of Align MD, an emergency department and urgent care management and staffing company based in Clarksville, TN, was guest speaker at a Austin Peay State University military coin presentation ceremony to honor graduating active duty and military veteran students.

1998

Shanda McKinney (B.A.), vice president of human resources for the Wright-Patt Credit Union in Dayton, was named a “Forty Under 40” award winner by the Dayton Business Journal.

Aaron Sorrell (B.S.), director of the Department of Planning on Community Development for the City of Dayton, was named a “Forty Under 40” award winner by the Dayton Business Journal. The award honors top young talent.

Lisa G. Whittaker (B.S.Ed.), an attorney in the Porter Wright law firm’s Labor and Employment Department in Columbus, OH, has been named to Columbus Business First’s “Forty Under 40” 2013.

1997

Cedric Alexander (Psy.D.) was named chief of police for DeKalb County (GA), taking the reins of a 946-member police force in the Atlanta area.

Amy Novak (M.S.) was named president of Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, SD.

1996

Kimberly Fox (B.A.), a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force recently selected as a Squadron Commander candidate, received an Outstanding Academic Achievement Award from the Master of Theological Studies program at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver.

Patrick Mauk (B.F.A.), an artist and gallery manager at the Dayton Visual Arts Center, showed 10 of his prints at the Works on Paper Gallery at Sinclair Community College in Dayton.

Marie C. Pfeiffer (B.S.Ed.), special education coordinator with Bridges Community Academy in Tiffin, OH, was selected as a professional member of the Covington Who’s Who Executive and Professional Registry in recognition for excellence in education.

Adam White (B.F.A.), director of The Restorers, a 2003 documentary film about restoration of vintage warplanes, was among film presenters at the Reel Stuff Film Festival of Aviation at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton.

1994

Brian Applegate (B.S.), an associate biomedical engineering professor at Texas A&M University, had his research into noninvasive imaging of epithelia tissue featured on the cover of Biomedical Optics Express.

Darrin M. Bowser (B.S.B.), a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, took over command of the Army’s 842nd Transportation Battalion during a ceremony at the battalion’s headquarters in the Port of Beaumont, TX.

Marco Fargnoli (B.F.A.), cinematographer of the new film Toy’s House, represented Wright State at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where the film was among an elite group of 16 in the Dramatic Feature competition.

Scot Rife (B.S.B.) was named mortgage loan originator by First Financial Bank in Centerville, OH.

Lisa Scheidt (B.A.), a mental health counselor at Southwest Florida Addiction Services, was named to the board of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Lee County (FL).

Eric W. Stennett (M.Ed.), principal of Hampton Middle School in Allison Park, PA, and adjunct instructor in the education department at Point Park University, was named the 2013 Middle School Level Principal of the Year by the Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals.

Dr. Charles Zeller (M.S.), an ear, nose, and throat specialist, has joined the Community Physician Network in Indianapolis.

1993

Shawn Heflick (B.S.), host of Python Hunters on the National Geographic Channel, made a presentation on nature and conservation at the Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown, PA.

Dr. Warren Jensen (M.S.), a flight surgeon, serves as the Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor of Aviation in the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at the University of North Dakota. Jensen also runs the school’s altitude chamber.

Cathy Turner (B.S.Ed.) (M.Ed.), a seventh-grade teacher at Indian Valley Middle School in Enon, OH, received the Excellence in Teaching award from the Springfield Rotary Club.

1992

D.A. Dean (B.A.), an author, has published The Ways of Eternity, a novel that tells the hidden story of the Egyptian god Horus.

Bobbie Grice (M.Ed.), a former schoolteacher working as a curriculum consultant for the Warren County (OH) Educational Service Center, was named Citizen of the Year by the Little Miami Chamber of Commerce.

Renee Lukas (B.A.) made the quarterfinals of the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition.

Cheryl Markle (M.D.) joined the Akron Children’s Hospital network of pediatric primary care offices as part of the hospital’s new affiliation with the Pediatrics Department at North Canton Medical Foundation.

Veronica Murphy (B.M.) was named principal/CEO of Purcell Marian High School in Cincinnati.

Matthew J. Savage (M.B.A.), formerly managing director for PQ Systems Europe, is a consultant on statistical process control for manufacturing, health care, and service organizations.

1991

Kerry Coombs (M.Ed.), cornerbacks coach for The Ohio State football team, was also named the Buckeyes’ special teams coordinator.

Joell Mangan (B.S.Ed.) was named principal of Fairbrook Elementary School in Beavercreek, OH.

Ryan Roth (B.A.), an Elvis Presley tribute artist who has performed throughout the United States and Canada, performed with his band at Graceland during a celebration commemorating the 35th anniversary of Presley’s death.

1990

Fred Boehler (B.S.B.) was appointed executive vice president and chief operating officer of Americold, an Atlanta-based company specializing in temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics.

Bob Coates (B.F.A.), an associate professor at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, presented 41 of his sculptural works at Sinclair’ Burnell R. Roberts Triangle Gallery.

Tracey Hayes (B.S.M.T.), a colonel in the Air Force, took command of the 90th Missile Wing and F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, WY. The wing has 150 nuclear missiles and some 3,500 civilian and military personnel.

Eric Jack (M.B.A.) was named dean of the School of Business at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Steven D. Kleeman (B.S.), director of the urogynecology division at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, was the 2013 recipient of the Mentor of the Year Award from the 55,000-member American Congress of Obstet-ricians and Gynecologists.

1989

Patrick Buchenroth (B.S.B.) was appointed controller and chief accounting officer for NewPage Holdings and NewPage Corp., a Miamisburg, OH-based producer of printing and specialty papers.

Cheryl Montag (M.Ed.), principal of J. F. Burns Elementary in Kings Local School District, was selected as Ohio’s 2013 National Distinguished Principal.

Tamara Evans (M.S.), vice president of marketing for the San Diego-based Ceatus Media Group, spoke about social media marketing at the annual American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators Symposium and Congress in San Francisco.

Brad Sherwood (B.F.A.), a comedian who starred on the former ABC-TV improv show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, performed in An Evening with Colin and Brad: The Two Man Group Tour.

Tim Waggoner (B.S.Ed.) (M.A.), a Sinclair Community College professor of English and creative writing, has written a literary tie-in to the TV series Supernatural.

1985

Kevin Larger (B.S.B.) is working in business development for the Tipp City, OH-based Monroe Federal Savings & Loan.

Stephan Lubbers (B.S.) is employed as a senior software engineer at Beijing West Industries, where he develops embedded systems that go under the hoods of automobiles.

Swadeep Nigam (M.B.A.) (M.S.), a financial analyst for the Las Vegas Valley Water District in Las Vegas, was reappointed by Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval to the Nevada Equal Rights Commission, which oversees the state’s equal employment opportunity program.

1984

Denise Rehg (B.A.) was appointed vice president of development by the Columbus (OH) Association for the Performing Arts.

Cindy Thomson (B.S.Ed.) announced the release of Grace’s Pictures, her novel that depicts a woman who has a run-in with gangsters as she tries to use her photographic skills for revenue to bring her mother from Ireland to America.

1983

Nannette Bernales (M.D.), associate medical director at Hospice of the Bluegrass in Northern Kentucky, was named Physician of the Year by the American Cancer Society.

John Hassoun (B.S.) (M.A.) was named corporate president of Vistronix, a Reston, VA-based national security company that serves federal and defense customers in the areas of geospatial applications, systems engineering, command center operations, and cybersecurity.

1982

Warren Jensen (M.S.) is director of aeromedical research at the University of North Dakota’s John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences.

Gary Nasal (B.A.) was appointed judge in Miami County Municipal Court.

Randy Phillips (B.S.) was appointed senior vice president of corporate development and chief strategy officer for TASC, Inc., a Chantilly, VA-based company that provides advanced systems engineering, integration, and decision-support services.

1980

Eric Jacobson (B.A.) is co-creator of Camp Lakebottom, an animated comedy for children scheduled to premiere on Disney XD.

Shauna Zerhusen (B.S.N.), a certified nurse midwife with Christ Hospital Physicians Obstetrics and Gynecology in Cincinnati, is opening a new practice in Crestview Hills, KY, along with her partners.

1979

Katie Deedrick (M.A.), director of Wright State University’s Office of Student Support Services, was named by Greene County (OH) as winner of the 2013 Outstanding Community Service Award.

1978

Rosezelle Boggs-Qualls (B.A.) released The Black Heart Book IV: The Legacy Lives On, part of a non-fiction Christian series that chronicles the history of the Alex Turner family.

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (M.A.), an award-winning author, poet, and teacher of creative writing at the University of Houston, had her book Oleander Girl recommended by Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club as “One of 16 Books to Get Lost in this April.”

Brad Purvis (B.S.) (M.A.) retired as science advisor to Air Force Special Operations and the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and is working as emeritus for the Air Force Weapons Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base (FL).

1974

David A. Berona (B.S.Ed.), dean of library and academic support services at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, NH, edited Eric Gill’s Masterpieces of Wood Engraving: Over 250 Illustrations, a book on one of the 20th century’s most creative and prolific English artists.

1972

Terry Van Schaik (B.S.Ed.) is senior director of journal publications and publisher for the Alexandria, VA-based American Society of Clinical Oncology.